Flipkart: Traders body complains against this Flipkart ad featuring Amitabh Bachchan

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) have condemned a Flipkart advertisement featuring Amitabh Bachchan. The offline retailers trade bodies have filed a complaint with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MCA) against the ad. In the Hindi advertisement of the Flipkart Big Billion Day sale, the Bollywood actor is seen telling consumers that deals on mobiles won’t be available offline at retail stores.

CAIT, in the letter, has called for the ad to be withdrawn, stating that it unfairly impacts the livelihood of shopkeepers and misleads consumers on the other hand. Earlier, CAIT also wrote to the Bollywood actor condemning his endorsement. “We are highly disheartened to witness your recent advertisement for Flipkart, where you claimed that deals and offers are not available at shopkeepers, thereby misleading and influencing customers…,” CAIT said.
Reacting to the advertisement, the All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), which represents 150,000 mobile retailers, has also written to leading smartphone brands to highlight the issue and also ask the brand heads to “issue either a joint or individual statement in prominent news media outlets, publicly clarifying that these statements are not accurate.”
“Our purpose in addressing you is to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding the recent wave of derogatory advertisements that have been proliferating across various online platforms, social media, and print media. These advertisements have been influencing the buying behaviour of customers through false and misleading statements, such as the one promoted by Flipkart with the endorsement of the mega star, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, stating, ‘yeh Dukan per nahin milne wala’ (This will not be found in stores),” AIMRA said in its letter to smartphone brands.
The Flipkart Big Billion Days sale starts October 8.